There was a point four seasons ago when Paul Pierce wanted nothing to do with the Celtics.
Who could blame him? He was wasting the best years of his career with little support on one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Well, Pierce has support now. And he’s learned to adjust his game to fit team’s needs.
With Rajon Rondo’s sprained ankle looming over the C’s already-decimated lineup, Pierce has once again altered his style of play.
He did his best Rondo impersonation in yesterday’s 99-88 win over Indiana, posting 18 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds — the seventh triple-double of his career and the first since 2006.
“The beauty about his game is he can do everything,” Nate Robinson said of Pierce. “He can dribble, he can shoot, he can pass, he can do it all; rebound, hustle. It’s no Rajon Rondo [triple-double] where it’s like 14 [points], 18 [assists], and 20 [rebounds], but it will do.”
While the injuries continue to pile up, the Celtics soldier on. They’ve now won 13 straight — and a lot of that is due to their team-oriented style, led by Pierce.
“He’s the chameleon,” Doc Rivers said. “Again, we would honestly rather have him in the scoring mode all the time. But with this team, especially with the injuries that we have, he’s been a phenomenal utility player for us.”
Pierce’s last triple-double came prior to the Big Three era. He’s a lot happier with the victories.
“I’m just happy we got the win, truthfully,” Pierce said. All those individual stats are good but they really don’t mean too much when you don’t win.”
It could be a bit for Rondo
Rajon Rondo tweeted this weekend that his ankle isn’t terribly close to game shape.
“Ankle is feeling better,” @rajonrondo wrote. “Out of the boot. Still got a ways to go. Treatment twice a day.”
